That Sansui is rather pricey at times and still sells at a fast rate.

Great video Scott, Enjoyed it

3:26 I looked for a decade for a clean pair of JBL 4343's after hearing them in a cafe in Tokyo. I am 100% satisfied with them to the point I don't feel I ever need another speaker for my 2 channel system. All of the detail, accuracy and power I'd ever want, without any of the listening fatigue that so many reference speakers I tried before would have. I'd consider some 4355's but the 4343's are much easier to place and work in more rooms.

EMT (Elektro messtechnik) was a very famous leading German company for studio equipment. Founded 1940 in Berlin, Germany, by Wilhelm Franz. After the War they produced (in and near Lahr, Black Forrest) some of the most iconic TT ever made. Look for the EMT 927 and the much smaller EMT 930. Both idler wheel TTs, found in TV- and Broadcasting- Studios all over the world. Today highly sought after by Japanese, Korean and Chinese audiophiles and collectors. Later, in the 70s+ they produced the EMT 950 and the 948 DD TT etc. Also produced the 12" J- shaped and the famous 12" 997 banana shaped Tonearm, the 10" 929 Arm as well as the "Tondosen" (professional pickups), all highly regarded by audiophiles nowadays. Also made studio reverb Equipment etc. In the 60s Thorens was also part of their company (Thorens Franz AG). I also owned some of their stuff (930 and 950). Excelente for 78s as well! Best regards from Germany!

I may be without power for a few more days, so will be slow to reply to any comments.

Great video as always Scott. I have a set of NS1000M’s I am restoring so that gave me some motivation. Thanks again

When you say that, the imaging started at the speaker itself I don’t know that that’s so unusual. I would be curious to know if you had them toed in and if so, how much. As i’m sure you know that can make all the difference in the focus of the image.

I've got a few of those on your list, the Advents, the Pioneer TZ7s, the JBL4411s, Klipsch Heresys, (early models), Polk SDA IIs, and the Yamaha NS-1000M. Style wise the only one's here that I specifically do not like are the Baby Grands, nor have I heard a pair that would ever make me consider taking them home, but that opinion is mostly from what I heard more than their appearance. Function comes first, appearance is really low on the list in my opinion. I would rate the Advents far higher, in both sound and appearance, with their style being one of the better one's overall, as well as the fit and finish or the cabinet. The fact they were able to build those with close enough tolerances out of wood, for that grill to fit so perfectly in such numbers, from a manufacturing standpoint, is an accomplishment. The design also lends itself well towards longevity as they age very well without grill or cabinet issues. I own four pair of those, plus two pair each of the 5002, 5012, and 4002 models. A great way to listen to those is to set up four of them, with the top pair inverted on both channels together. What i came to prefer is two NLA's and two 5002s inverted atop the lower pair. Powered with an 80 wpc or larger amp, they sound fantastic. The Yamaha's are hard to beat but they can be very different speakers on different amps, and they love power. They are great small room speakers on a tube amp and good source material. They lend themselves better to female vocals, and jazz best, but that's just my opinion. In the Heirarchy of the speakers that I own, I put these along side of my Infinity RSm's but the Infinity RSm's do better on solid state amps, but need just as much power. but they seem to handle a wider array of music better. The Polk SDA II's are real standouts but they too like power, or more specific, they like higher current amps for better control. The more power you feed them the tighter they become. The Pioneers are similar in that aspect but are better at higher volumes than they are at 'easy listening levels. The same goes for the JBL 4411's. I rank the Polks pretty high on my list of best sounding speakers, through out the Monitor and SDA series there really aren't any duds. I have at least one pair of each of the Monitor series, and have had all of the SDA series over the years. The SDA 2Cs that i have are the best of the lineup but are very much a large room speaker that likes power. My third channel speakers on my main system right now are still a set of Monitor 10's from the late 70's along side a pair of Infinity RSm's beneath a pair of Infinity Qb's. Klipsch Heresy's are big room speakers, they do best when in a long, large room, as in an open basement or large open floor plan living room area. Their position and amp choice can also make them very different speakers. These are a speaker that I do like, but are rarely a speaker I go to for my listening mostly due to the size of my rooms here. I can't bring myself to sell them, but don't like them enough to make them my everyday speakers in any of my systems if that makes any sense. My Pioneer TZ-7's are Joined by a pair of TZ-9's next to them, and are also paired with a set of ST-S500 and ST-S300 speakers which I have stacked playing in unison. These are very amp specific speakers and they love power, or better said, they need power to sound right. The tweeters, much like the Emit Tweeters and various other high end tweeters are slightly fragile, both in the signal they receive, and in handling. I was told by a Pioneer rep, (who owned all of mine originally), that they had big issues with broken ceramic tweeters day one from the speakers being mishandled in shipment. The impression I got was that they suffer more damage from shock then from dc voltage or overpowering them. These are large speakers, and even larger if you have the factory stands, which are actually cabinet extensions, which ad roughly 15" of height to these. (There were also two sizes of stands, when these were displayed when first released two different height stands were used to improve audible performance and to prevent high frequency directional interference between both speakers. The stand height on the left speaker was roughly 1 1/4" lower than the Right speaker. Stands were also sold with matching grain so they looked like they were all one piece but with a belt line or separation between the stand and the speaker. I've been at this for about 45 years or so, I got into HIFi back in the late 70's when the power wars were going on. It escalated as i got older, now to the point where I've got no fewer than 100 pair of speakers here, not counting duplicates and just as many got bought, tried and sold over the years. I used to buy, test and sell the one's I didn't like, but I've learned that if a speaker doesn't sound good as tested, providing its in good condition, I set it aside and try it later on a different amp, or maybe in a different location. Sooner or later I always seem to find the right match where they can shine. It never ends and there's always new speakers and amps to try.

I remember rocking out with my Small Advents. Had them refoamed once.

I have a pair of III lowboys from new and still love them!

I've had a few pair of 901's over the years, from Series I to VI. My personal opinion is if you're using them for background/ambient and low power applications, place them in the recommended configuration. If you are using them as main speakers, turn them towards the listener, you still get a wide soundstage from the angled panels, plus the benefit of 89% direct energy with a much more forward sound that isn't dependent on reflections. Even Dr. Bose himself admitted in an article he preferred them turned around for direct listening.

You should be on AudioKarma, the pioneer would be my pick. Powered with an SX-1010 :)

Nice. I hope someday you get a chance to see how the JBL 250 Ti stacks up against those two.

Thank you so much that really helped me out with all the vintage receivers

Very Nice. Vintage rules.😮

I don’t understand the importance you put on of Recapping! I’ve collected dozens of 60’s and 70’s vintage stereo components and I’ve not had one Recapped. If it ain’t Bulging or Bleeding, leave it go!

Dude the wheels take away from the bass and the speakers are Corner horns. Get it? The belong in a corner, not front and center. Just saying.

73 year-old Luddite here. Cut my teeth repairing scrapped TVs at age 10. Avionics tech in the Coast Guard, AA in electronics tech. Been an electronics tech and field service engineer all my working life. I bought a JVC 5.1 receiver, CD player and dual cassette deck in the mid 80s and they still work. Mostly, A few years back I decided to upgrade and bought a really nice $800 Onkyo receiver but found it hard to adapt to. The internet connectivity, being able to pull in podcasts, etc was fun, but I found it a very frustrating unit to deal with. One day, the Onkyo got dropped on a far corner of my office desk and the trusty JVC was back on line. Still works though the sound could be better. Probably the odd ball Polk speaker set. Fast forward a few years to last month. That over-priced Onkyo turd was still languishing at the end of my desk. Laughing at me. 30 seconds later, it bounced off the bottom of the trash can out behind the garage. Two days later, it took its last ride to the city landfill. OK, should have recycled it. My bad, but far more satisfying this way. Last week I found myself looking at receivers again on Amazon. Does NO ONE make a simple receiver anymore? Bluetooth, WiFi, uber-connected crap. I just want AM-FM, Tape, CD, Phono and 5.1 / 5.2 speakers. Maybe 5 speakers and a base unit. Not 75 speakers and slaved to the Internet. Guess that's progress. And I don't care for it. Bah Humbug!!

I sold these at a hifi store in late 70’s. I ended up buying the NS670’s from the lineup. Much smoother and great with sax, acoustic guitar, violin etc. to me the ns670’s were the best of the lineup.

My first receiver was a SA-300 bought new in 1979. I currently have a SA-800 that is in very good condition that I ran with a pair of Klipsch KG 4.2s. I currently don't have a large enough room to set it up in that is convenient for listening so I am probably going to sell it.

Whatever the connector you put on the end, if the body is metal and the two plugs touch bodies after inserted, would that could be a problem? Like the flexible plug at 7:30?

I ALWAYS PLAY MY MUSIC ON MY SURROUND SOUND , 5,1 MY VINYL SOUNDS GREAT, I CAN CHANGE TO SREREO, IF REQUIRED. THE HOME MOVIS I PLAY ARE ALSO PLAYED ON MY SURROUND SOUND, MY HIGH END TURNTABLE MICHELL GYRO DEC SE IS PLUGGED INTO A DENON HOME THEATER AMP. WITH DENON CD, DVD PLAYER, AND PIONEER SPEAKERS AND SUB WOOFER. PEOPLE THINK THE DENON WAS NOT UP TO SCRATCH NOT GOOD ENOUGH, BUT IT SURE ROCKS,

Thx; the Thiels are 2x the price of the Pioneers…. Easy choice for most buyers with speakers that both sound fairly good

Wow so cool to have been introduced to your channel! This is great!

Hi. This is me again, who asked about Sansui 9010. I am wondering if you can sell any of your components that you want to let go. Please advise. Thanks

I became a fan of Thiel speakers as they were universally praised by the audiophile community when I was growing up in the 80's. I was fortunate enough that once I was able to start my own audiophile journey, it was with Thiel speakers, first with a mint pair of CS 3.5's with their Electronic Bass Module and replacing those with Jim Thiel's final speaker, the CS 3.7. The one thing that Thiels are known for is their very revealing and resolving nature...everything is presented to the listener and whatever is on the track you're listening to, you will hear (if your electronics are good enough). However, that also tends to be Thiel's biggest issue: they can come across as harsh, sterile and analytical in their presentation. With today's proliferation of digital files and listening, the Thiels made me feel like I was always listening as if I were in a recording studio...good or bad, I heard it all and I found myself listening with a very critical ear. It got fatiguing at the end. Two years ago, I replaced my 3.7's with a new pair of Kef Blade Two's...which I very much consider a "grail" speaker. In my younger years, I thought revealing and resolution was what I wanted from my system, but as I have journied through this hobby, I now feel that musicality and enjoyment of the music and performance are what it's really about. IMHO, speakers are the most crucial and personal choice one makes when building a system. Thanks for posting your comparison...very well done and informative!

Needs to be cleaned

20 y ago I put together a great 5.1 system. Never really watched home theater. Sold all but the 2.1 stuff. Never looked back. Vintage stereo sucks. Every generation of audio sounds better, cost less, and weighs less. Plus old receivers smell.

I bought one new back in the day and still have it. Had to have one of the output transistors replaced after 10 years and it went out again after a few years, then it just sat. I've since got a electronics degree and think it must have a bad bias resister on that channel, might dig into it and see what I find. Great sound for a reasonable price.

I remember Fisher being Sears crap in the 80s. Were they high end before that?

I’m not sure why you would compare these two speakers . The Theils are technically way ahead of the Pioneers.

Hi . I have a bunch of speakers. From small , Rodgers Ls3 5a to Klipsch La Scalas. I have a pair of baby Theils CS1.2 . The little Theils matched with a thumping amp work well . They lack bottom end . To be honest they compare very well with the BBC monitors . Very similar sound.

I have Sansui 9010 ( Sansui 810 US version) in excellent or like new condition. I also have Tube 300B Japan Airtight. I connect them to Cube Audio Magus speakers and I am surprised Sansui 9010 sounds so good and 9/10 compared to 300B Airtight. I am curious and wondering the quality sound of Sansui 9010 compared with 9090. How is the position of Sansui 9010 for high efficiency good speakers. Can you please share your thoughts? Thank you so much.

Nice video. I appreciate your channel. Do you own any Ohm omnidirectional speakers? Those were great in their day, especially the Huge ones. I don't think that people had the room to appreciate them.... Ohm is still in business. They only make mini-omni's now. - Did I own a pair? Nah. They were just dream speakers for me. Still are.

TLDW... Thiel...

Tube amps of that era (and even today to a good degree) have rather high output source impedances. The ohms-law interaction with the attached speaker's frequency-dependent impedance will change the frequency response that the listener hears - you will not get a flat output response from the amp in this case. Typically with a 2-way speaker connected to a tube amp you'll get a little 80 Hz richness, additional output around 2 kHz, and rolloff between 3 kHz and about 6 or 8 kHz and then a little upsweep above 8000 Hz to about 11,000 Hz then a gentle downward slope. This is a good portion of what is described as "tube sound." Another thing that contributes to "tube sound" is the ability to run the gain a little higher than you could with a solid state amp because the tube amp will not produce raucous distortion when pushed hard in the bass, as opposed to the square wave - like clipping of a similarly driven solid state amp. This permits a higher average audio level than you can get with a solid state amp without really objectionable distortion. Hence the distinction that some people make about "tube watts" vs "transistor watts."

Best regards I have question what the best busking speaker okay thanks love the video

I bought 2 pairs in 1980's, upgraded XO with Wondercaps. Still using them. For what they are, they sound good.

I'm familiar with earlier Thiel models, I always thought their crossovers were too steep (which creates phase error) and the upper frequencies perhaps over-emphasized. Paired with the right amp I suppose the top end would be less biting. As for the (released in 1989) Pioneer TZ9, I wonder why they never bothered with time alignment of the drivers? That wide, flat front panel is bound to affect treble the dispersion and perhaps affect proper off-axis decay.

Thank you for this comparison, very well done, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

How much

Excellent...

Very nice! I Imagine having 2 sets F&R to open up the sound stage and imaging, twice as nice!😊

Nice review Scott! It is difficult to choose a better speaker when they both have their strenghths.. At the end of the day, im sure most would be happy with either. Placement, as you know makes a huge difference in any system! I think it is more important than the speakers themselves, as they can sound extremely different with different possitions.

Home theater was popular when families can get together to enjoy or endure a movie together. Then came the iPhone and texting each other across the dinner table or even not having a dinner.

Remember the big Thiel's when they came out. They were expensive. When listening to the smaller ones (at a dealer) I always felt that they were too restricted in their dynamics. Perhaps they needed to be paired with a more powerful amp.

All you have to say is TAD on the cheap and ide jump that way. Yes the Theil is a fine looking speaker and has phasing correction. I like the twin woofers in the Pioneer/TAD.

I have read in few places about having to use sda's with a common ground amplifier or something. I don't remember the details of what I've read to be honest. But I have owned a pair of these, and used them with an NAD 7400 stereo receiver with no problems that I can recall. If anybody can clarify this "common ground amplifier" thing that would be so cool.

I had the CSS7. I miss them.

It's A LOT OF WORK to compare two set of speakers and try to describe the differences in sound and your personal preferences . Much appreciated! Thank you!